experts at japan's nuclear watchdog conclude a nuclear plant could be sitting on active faults. their assessment may keep the facility offline for the near future. chinese officials fire up their own global positioning system. they say they will use the satellite navigation service for both civilian and military purposes. and businesses at tokyo's famous tsukiji fish market are facing changing times, so they

are trying to adapt to stay on the tourist map. welcome to nhk world "newsline." officials with the nuclear regulation authority found something unsettling you should a plant in northern japan. they say faults underneath it may be active. the discovery could keep the plant offline for an indefinite amount of time. nhk world reports. >> reporter: regulators looked into the ground at this nuclear plant and didn't like what they found. >> translator: we think that active faults exist under the compound and we conclude that there is no evidence to contradict that finding. >> reporter: the plant went online in 2005. the government approved the operators assessment but there were no active faults underground. executives at the electric power

company argued that's still the case. they say a sift found under the compound was caused by groundwater, not seismic activity. and they say the faults have not moved recently. the executives try to prove their point by boring into the ground and taking a sample. they hammered it and concluded the earth would not move. >> translator: we assessed the faults are inactive. >> translator: i can't say that part of the sample represents all other parts of the fault. >> reporter: the experts from the nuclear regulation authority

will finalize the report in the next few weeks. they've instructed the people at tohoku electric to review measures to protect the plant against earthquakes. the regulators say there's a fault under the nuclear plant in central japan, too. the findings are raising questions about the safety of plants across the country. >> translator: i feel deceived and as angry with the state. >> translator: precise data should be open to reassure residents. >> reporter: the village's mayor says he worries about what will happen to the local economy if the plant does not restart. >> translator: i'm doubtful whether there were enough discussions. only a handful of experts in a short time to make an important decision. >> reporter: on friday the experts will check whether a

fault under the ohi plant in western japan is active. they will look at three of the plants in the new year. tomoko kamata, nhk world. the nuclear regulation authority is also working on new guidelines for evacuations should another accident happen at a nuclear plant. but experts say there isn't enough solid science in a draft outline, so they say they will need more time to finish their plans. the nra decided to base the new guidelines on actual radiation readings. after the fukushima accident, authorities failed to get residents to evacuate promptly even though they had information from a radiation forecast system. the nra secretary is proposing the immediate evacuation of residents within 5 to 30 kilometers of a radiation plant

when they reach 500 millisieverts per hour. they call for evacuation within a week's time if the level is at 20 millisieverts or more. but the panel of experts did not reach a consensus. some said the authority had simply decided on a level half that of international standard without enough scientific basis. others said the nra should adopt the international standard for the time being and continue discussions to set japan's own standards. the operator of the crippled fukushima daiichi nuclear plant is asking for more public money. they say the compensation payments are higher than the initial estimate. tokyo electric power company has asked a state-backed fund for $8.1 billion to make up for the expected shortfall. tepco now estimates compensation to amount to about $38 billion,

that's up from the official figure of around $30 billion, which would be used to pay for damages for the nuclear accident last year. the utility added properties to be compensated and extended the compensation period for voluntary evacuees and affected formers. the government will review the utility's compensation plan and decide whether to accept the request. the overall cost of last year's disaster and nuclear accident has dragged down the japanese economy. so has years of deflation. the prime minister is trying to deal with both challenge. he says he won't let the economy stagnate any longer. he told his cabinet ministers to draft a 15-month budget that would be made up of a supplementary budget for the rest of this fiscal year and the budget for fiscal 2013. >> translator: the supplementary budget must be compiled so that the new administration puts the first priority on economic recovery. post disaster reconstruction and people's safety and security also must be taken care of. >> the minister in charge of economic revival said he asked

other ministers to short list measures that would quickly boost demand. tokyo stocks have reached a new high for the year. investors are optimistic that the bank of japan will continue its monetary easing measures and work with the new government to end deflation. the benchmark nikkei index rose 92 points or .90%. to close at 10322. that's the first time in nine months it exceeded this year's high. cars and export-oriented shares led the gain prompted by the weaker yen. gains were trimmed by profit-taking in the afternoon with some investors feeling that the market is surging too quickly. others are waiting to see if the u.s. can avoid the so-called fiscal cliff before the year-end deadline.

and bond traders in tokyo are selling japanese government bonds or jgbs. they expect the new administration will issue more bonds to finance its stimulus measures. this sent jgb yields to a three-month high. the ten-year yield on the jgb topped 0.8% on thursday, the highest level since september 21st. yields rise when bond prices fall. analysts say more investors are shifting their financial assets from bonds to stocks so this will cause interest rates to inch up for a while. u.s. treasury department officials have alerted congressional leaders about the debt ceiling. the government will reach this in about two months and the country could suffer a self-inflicted default. congress currently sets the borrowing limit at $16.4 trillion. the national debt rose because of a series of deficit-covering bonds were issued. the government and the republican party are at odds over the issue. the political stalemate in the summer of 2011 over raising the debt ceiling caused a plunge in stock prices. standard & poor's, the american credit rating agency, has downgraded u.s. government bonds

from the top ratings for the first time. here are the latest market figures. the chinese are trying to go head-to-head with the americans in the multibillion dollar sat nav business. their new navigation satellite system or bds is now offering service in the asia-pacific region. >> translator: bds will be used for both military and civilian purposes. it is useful in setting up china's national defense. >> chinese government representatives say the country has launched 16 satellites for bds. they say they plan to put several more into orbit to expand global coverage by 2020. bds is designed to compete with the u.s. global positioning system which has a lock on the consumer market. officials say bds is accurate enough to distinguish objects that are ten meters apart. they started operating the system on an experimental basis a year ago. they have tested it in government cars. they believe chinese fishing surveillance ships operating in

the waters near the senkaku islands are also equipped with bds. . shoppers and store staff. the eight by five meter aquarium contained sharks, turtles and fish and located inside a shop and was facing the street. surveillance video shows water gushing over customers and knocking down store displays. a small official says the tank was installed two years ago. shanghai city authorities said the main cause of the accident was deterioration of the glass. they said the temperature between -- or temperature difference between the inside

and outside of the tank made it shatter. >> democratization is taking route in myanmar. the country's president says there is much room for improvement in its government. our reporter in bangkok has details. >> the president spoke to the nation on wednesday in a speech broadcast nationwide via state-run television station. he urged government workers to do more. the president also said reforms are needed from the grassroots level up to the level of the central government. in a speech broadcast through state-run stations, he described the country has falling far short of the international standards for good governance and urged government workers to do more. the president also said reforms are needed from the grassroots level up to the level of the central government. he called for the cooperation of bureaucrats as well as the general public to achieve a government free of corruption. he took office as president in march of 2011.

he has been promoting a package of economic reforms. his efforts won the agreement of western countries to ease economic sanctions that were imposed during myanmar's military regime. now he is trying to turn around the country's economy, which is the weakest. myanmar has the geopolitical advantage of being located between india and the rest of southeast asia and has an abundance of natural resources. these factors are drawing the attention of foreign ambassadors who see the country as the last frontier in asia. but questions remain as to whether myanmar has administrative abilities to handle a sun influx of foreign investment. myanmar will serve as the chair country in 2014. in that capacity it will host key diplomatic talks such as the east asia summit where the

leaders of the u.s., china and other major powers gather. the president seems eager to gloom the country's bureaucrats for the world stage and change their mindset. eight years have passed since the indian ocean tsunami. it struck on december 26th of 2004 and left more than 220,000 people dead or missing. but one island had a low number of casualties. the reason can be found in music. nhk world has the details. ♪ >> reporter: the song comes from the aceh province of indonesia. it means tsunami in the local dialect. this song has been passed down for generations, ever since a major tsunami killed thousands when it struck the island over a century ago. ♪ >> reporter: children have been brought up on this and adults continue to sing it while

tending to their fields. the song teaches people how to protect themselves from a tsunami and has been put in their minds. what should you do when an earthquake strikes? >> translator: ran toward the hilltop as fast as you can. >> reporter: after the 2004 indian ocean earthquake, many people remember the song did just that and headed for the

hills. although over 160,000 people were either killed or remain missing in aceh province along, only 7 people died on this island which has a population of just 80,000. this is yoko takafuji who is on the island to study the song. >> translator: this song saved everyone's lives. through studying the song i believe we can integrate this local knowledge into future disaster prevention education. >> reporter: during her research, takafuji was further shocked to find in some communities, items about the earthquake have been added to the song. ♪

>> reporter: in aceh's capital, banda aceh, however, memories of the tsunami are gradually fading. >> translator: life is back to normal now. >> translator: a tsunami won't hit us again. >> reporter: at a local school, takafuji introduces the song to the children by showing them

videos she took on the island. >> translator: the song says to immediately run to the nearest hilltop. >> translator: i realize that you must always be cautious and that you must immediately run away in order to save your life. >> reporter: although the song was sang in the indigenous community, it's gradually being passed on to a wider audience as a song that can actually save lives. shinga soto, nhk world, aceh province, indonesia. i'm patchari raksawong in bangkok. thousands of people gathered in tokyo to say farewell to a master of traditional japanese theater. the actor died earlier this month. he was 57. he devoted his life to revitalizing kabuki more popular.

he introduced it to foreign audiences, stages performances in the united states. his family took his ashes to where his troupe once performed. his two sons are also actors. the people there welcomed there with a lively parade featuring a portable shrine that was used in a play this year. >> translator: it's such a great loss, he was truly a star. >> translator: he died too young. ♪ >> 12,000 people went to a temple for the funeral. they rememberered s life and work which included appearances in movie its, tv dramas, talk shows and variety programs. [ speaking foreign language ]

>> fans then bid him farewell by shouting his name as they would in the theater. one of the most popular spots on the tokyo tourism map is trying to reel in more visitors. businesses at the world famous tsukiji fish market are adapting their strategy in anticipation of a change that could affect their bottom line. >> reporter: rows and rows of tuna lie across the floor of tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world. professional auctioneers and wholesalers handle about 2,000 tons of fish every day at the inner market.

the outer market is geared more towards visitors and tourists who also want a piece of action. you'll find more than 300 mom and pop shops and little eateries, all known to provide the most affordable, freshest foods from the inner market. the sights, sounds and tastes of japanese cuisine have attracted international visitors for years. >> it's very traditional, a good experience. >> reporter: but time is running out on tsukiji as we know it. the inner market which includes the famous tuna auction will be moving to a new home by spring 2015. local traders want to attract as many people as possible in the short time left. so they've cooked up a few ideas to help foreigners experience the traditional market one last time. and to lure back tourists they lost after last year's disaster. the outer market information center now has volunteers, who will offer english guidance services.

>> these are the oldest and the traditional sushi shops. >> okay. >> reporter: organizers say tsukiji was never meant to be a tourist spot but it gradually became one by word of mouth. for them to provide a service specifically for tourists is a brand new concept. now about 1,000 foreigners visit the booth every month. >> translator: we've seen a sudden boost in the number of foreign visitors, so we realized we needed to make ourselves more tourist friendly. we thought we should add this service to enhance their experience here. >> reporter: the english trend is spreading tdividual stores within the market. this handmade knife shop was founded by a swordsmith six centuries ago. back then an english service wasn't necessary but now -- >> may i help you? >> yes. i was wondering about a knife. >> reporter: tourists have a

much easier time shopping here, thanks to gonbei narashino. the employee says he learned english phrases on his own to help customers make the right purchase. he admits that his english isn't perfect. but it gets the job done. he says sales made to foreign customers have increased since he started studying. >> thank you very much. >> have a good day. >> reporter: hungry shoppers then search for lunch. many line up outside tiny sushi shops. this one offers special services for kids or foreigners who have never tasted raw fish. >> look at this. wow. >> bite size. >> micro. >> reporter: the microsushi is the chef's playful way to introduce raw fish to lucky

first-timers at no cost. don't be fooled by its size. it's packed with the same full flavor as the original. >> mm-mm. >> translator: they love it. it definitely leaves an impression. >> i would like to take my mother and my friends to have them try the little ones, because sometimes people get scared with the big ones. >> reporter: they hope that one small bite will turn their shop into a big tourist attraction. the people at tsukiji market are adapting to the changing times and making their businesses more approachable in a variety of ways while still maintaining the traditional spirit of tsukiji. nhk world, tokyo. under 10 degrees celsius weather continues in tokyo. robert speta is here with the forecast. robert.

>> well, that's right, gene, it is very chilly across much of tokyo and much of japan today for that matter. we're seeing high pressure come in from the west but the good news is going into saturday and sunday it's going to start to warm up. the reason is this cloud cover down here towards the south. this is a low pressure area that's starting to push off here towards the northeast. behind it you'll see some cold air spill in across much of eastern china here, but ahead of it, it's moving in from the south and that's going to be raising up temperatures across much of japan, but unfortunately it's not going to be a fair weather week. it's going to be wet showers across much of the country here. actually down towards kusha, you could see 100 to 120 millimeters of rain throughout your day on your friday going into saturday here. then as it pushes off towards the northeast, you've been seeing some snow across northern hanshu. the threat with that is you have all this fresh powder on the mountains and it will start to melt and there's a risk of avalanche. at the very least into tokyo you'll want to keep an umbrella nearby because it's going to be wet out here. tokyo with a high of 10.

beijing is just below the freezing mark, minus 2 here on your friday. as we take a look over towards the americas, we have been watching this storm system push across the eastern u.s., now off towards new england. still have blizzard warnings in effect into maine extending out there towards the west and also dealing with that lake-effect snow, that cold air wrapping around this low-pressure system into ontario, lake ontario here, over towards lake erie, the southern portions is where you've been seeing very heavy snowfall. not to mention gusty winds continuing to occur all across this region. so blizzard conditions, whiteouts on the roads. if you do not have to drive, i'd recommend staying inside and

riding this one out because that's going to be some very dangerous traveling conditions, not to mention airport delays and cancellations across much of this region. behind it conditions really clearing out here. chicago just above the freezing mark for your high on your thursday but it is expected to be sunny skies. same over there into denver, minus 3 for your high. down towards the south, houston, you're starting to warm up from yesterday's high right around the single digits there, up to 13 going through your thursday. now as we take a look over towards europe, we're also watching a series of low-pressure systems one moving across the lowcountrys bringing snow across portions of germany, extending down through the alpine regions. some break in the action behind it but then the next system, a very large storm system is starting to move in off the atlantic toward the british isles. this will bring widespread rain showers. the problem here, the ground is already saturated. you have been seeing consistent rains recently so there is the risk of flooding. out ahead of it, though, things will be warming up. unseasonal temperatures are in store across london and paris, down through madrid at 12 degrees, over towards rome you're seeing a high of 15 but not everybody is sharing on the

warm weather. stockholm, only minus 4 for your high on your friday. now here's a look at your extended forecast. we'll be back in 30 minutes with more news. for all of us here at nhk world,

thanks for joining us. have a great day wherever you are. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com